1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to containers usefull for safe transportation of filled and partially filled hypodermic syringes. The present invention is particularly directed towards a container sized for field service and structured with protective features allowing filled and partially filled hypodermic syringes to be packaged and transported to a laboratory. The design of the invention also allows filled and partially filled hypodermic syringes to be packaged for safe storage. This is particularly important for police officers who must transport used hypodermic syringes from the field to a laboratory and for storing the contents of used hypodermic syringes for evidence and for presentation as evidence in court.
2. Description of the Prior Art
From a patent search, it is evident that containers for safe storage of delicate medical equipment were considered essential quite a few years ago. for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 426,400 issued to C. J. Taglabue on Apr. 22, 1890, a tubular thermometer case is illustrated. Elastic pad closure members are used as end stops to protect the enclosed thermometer.
In another early patent, U.S. Pat. No. 585,007, granted to G. G. Rambaud on Jun. 22, 1897, a vaccine point protector is shown. The use of paraffin to seal in an end stopper is described in this patent.
The Cook patent dated Dec. 11, 1928, U.S. Pat. No. 1,694,768, describes and illustrates a tubular container sealed at one end and closed with a stopper at the other end. The purpose of the invention is to provide safety from contamination for hypodermic needles prior to injections. The needle only is contained and not the syringe.
G. K. Burke shows a disposable syringe with a needle guard. His patent was issued Feb. 28, 1961, U.S. Pat. No. 2,972,991. A cotton filler is used adjacent an opening in the tip of the needle guard. The cotton filler is used as a filter in this application.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,743, granted to P. Gingras on Sep. 6, 1966, shows a syringe container useful for keeping the needle sterilized prior to use. The end of the needle is inserted into a cotton pad which has been impregnated with an antiseptic liquid.
A patent issued to L. F. Waldman, Jr., on Jul. 4, 1967, U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,146, illustrates and describes a syringe needle container. The container is designed just to sheath the needle and provides a quick release for attaching the needle to a syringe.
In the "Disposable Safety Needle Sheath" shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,336, a needle sized container is affixed at a receiving end with a capped funnel. The device is primarily designed for handling safety during the disposal of contaminated materials.
The Conard et al patent issued Jun. 26, 1990, U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,449, teaches a disposable sharps retaining and disposal device. This device includes a block of absorbent polystyrene foam for penetration by and for frictionally holding disposable hypodermic syringes, scalpels and other sharps within a lidded container. The polystyrene foam of Conard's device would not sufficiently prevent leakage of the syringe contents due to the porous nature of the material utilized to hold the sharps, and in fact Conard describes the polystyrene foam as being absorbent so that liquid contaminants, such as blood and other fluids with which the sharps may be contaminated, are less likely to leak from the block. Since the polystyrene block of Conard's device is absorbent, and is intended to be absorbent by admission of Conard, it cannot seal a needle tip and prevent leakage of the syringe or needle contents.
None of the previously mentioned past art patents teach a container for safely containing and restraining against movement a used hypodermic syringe with the needle tip sealed to prevent leakage of the syringe contents. Our device is directed towards protection of the people handling and transporting a used syringe and also the protection of the syringe, and specifically its contents, for later examination and identification. The current method of collecting hypodermic syringes by low enforcement personnel for evidence in legal prosecution often merely includes placement of the syringe with needle into a plastic bag. Since the syringes and their contents are often used as evidence in a court case, it is desirable to attempt to save even the last minuscule amount of fluid left in a used syringe for laboratory analysis. None of the devices of the past art are structurally capable of providing these qualities and therefore could not function as our device or provide the benefits thereof.